About Blogging: 15 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started

Here are 15 things I wish I’d known about blogging before I started. Some are good, some are bad, but they’re all worthwhile.

You have to treat it like a business: If you plan to make money with your blog, if you plan to replace your full-time income and maybe even make more, then you need to treat it like a business. You can’t work at it whenever you feel like it or whenever you don’t have something better to do. It has to be a priority and you have to be committed to succeeding.

A lot of bloggers are fakes: I don’t care what niche you’re talking about, there are fakes all over the Internet. Yes, there really are bloggers out there making 6- and 7-figure incomes. But they didn’t do it overnight and they’re not really sharing their secrets. Would you? No. You’d be too busy making money!

There’s a lot to learn: And you can’t learn it all in a weekend. Or even a month. It takes time. Plan on it.

There are a million different paths: The more you learn the more you’ll come to realize there are millions of different paths you can choose to make money with your blog. If you’re patient and creative, the sky really is the limit.

It’s so easy to get distracted: I’ve been at this for years and I’m still surprised at how easy it is to become distracted and waste time. It’s still one of the hardest things I have to deal with.

It’s lonely: Yes, you’re working alone at your desk all day, but that’s not the worst of it. Most of my family and friends have no idea what I’m doing and when I try to talk about it their eyes just glaze over. They’re supportive, but they really can’t help or commiserate.

It’s addictive: On the other hand, I love blogging and everything that goes with it so I have a hard time tearing myself away from my computer to spend time with friends and family.

It’s OK to make mistakes: I’ve taught myself everything I know. If I stopped trying every time I made a mistake I’d have quit on my very first day.

You have to keep moving forward: There’s always going to be something new to learn that can improve your overall business. You always have to be looking ahead and keep moving forward.

Failure is for losers: Too many people think “failure” is final. It’s not. Failing doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. It just means you have to try again.

You have to engage: You have to engage with your readers, and then you have to go to the people and sources that they engage with. In other words, you constantly have to be working on extending your reach.

You have to network: Even the big name bloggers network with other bloggers. In fact, that’s how they got where they are today. They give each other help and support and they partner together on business deals. You’ll need to do this, too.

You have to learn to communicate: In most cases this means you’ll have to learn how to write well. But don’t think you can get around this by doing everything with video or podcasts. You need to be able to present yourself as an expert, which means you need to learn how to communicate with your audience.

Sometimes you have to stop: Sometimes you literally have to force yourself to step away from your computer and take a break. We all have a breaking point. Learn to recognize yours.

It’s empowering: When it’s all said and done, this is the most empowering business you can choose. You can work any where, any time, doing anything you like, and the more you learn the larger you can grow your business. It’s all up to you.

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2 Comments

Natalie

I just started blogging and internet merketing but I already feel number 6. It’s lonely and family and friends do not understand what I’m talking about. I write in Dutch, in Holland there aren’t too many people making money online. Which is great in terms of competition but makes it more difficult to find likeminded people and other expert bloggers.